


Of I Love You's and Promises

by Robin Lee (maydaysmusings)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-10 02:10:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20520236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maydaysmusings/pseuds/Robin%20Lee
Summary: Johnny has always been the affectionate type, but Kun is the exact opposite.OrThe five times Johnny says "I love you" and the one time Kun says it back.





	Of I Love You's and Promises

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Part three deals with being trapped in an elevator.

**1:** Johnny had always been affectionate towards Kun, even if Kun didn’t exactly return the same sentiments, because that was his best friend since they were four years old. It never bothered Kun though; he knew how Johnny was and had accepted his fate as his best friend when they were about seven.

Which is the first time it happened.

It was the first day of second grade and Johnny had run up to his best friend, backpack bouncing as he came over, already a few inches taller than Kun, “Hey!”

“Hi, John!” Kun smiles brightly, turning to look at him fully, before being pulled into a bear hug, “Woah! Missed you too!”  
Kun and his family had gone on vacation for the summer and he barely had any contact with Johnny, so they hadn’t seen each other in a few months and obviously Johnny had missed him a lot more than expected.

“How was it? Did you have fun? Where did you go again? I bet it was cool! Do you have photos?” Johnny starts until Kun covers his mouth.

“You’re going too fast!” He laughs, “My mom has photos, so you can come over today and see them?”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Okay! I’ll ask my mom after school! Are you still gonna ride your bike home?”

“Yeah!” Kun smiles wider and then gasps, “Oh, but I got you something!”

“Really?” Johnny bounces, looking over as Kun takes off his backpack and kneels to dig through it before pulling out a plush shark keychain.

“Here!” He jumps up and puts his bag back on, offering it to him.

Johnny takes it carefully and smiles, “Thanks, Kun!” He hands it back and turns around, “Can you clip it on for me?”

Kun takes it and steps over, clipping It to one of his zippers, “There you go, John!”

“Thanks, Kun! I love it! I love you!” He beams brightly as he turns around.

Kun nods with a smile, “You too, man.” Honestly, he felt a little awkward about it, because he had never said it to anyone but his own parents. But, John was so excited to say it that he had to respond.

That was the first time.

**2:** The second time was a bit less awkward.

Kun and John were around ten when they managed to crash their bikes and each broke an arm, making them both have casts on opposite arms.

John suggested they get each other’s favourite colours, so Kun got coral and John got a light blue.

Of course they were the first to sign the others when Kun slept over at John’s house the same night they got them.

“Okay, don’t look!” John says and starts to carefully write on Kun’s cast, where he could see it, right on his wrist. “…Okay, done.”

John wrote, ‘You’re my best friend! Thanks for breaking your arm with me!’

Kun beamed when he read it and hugged John before grabbing the marker, “Okay, look away!” He scribbles neatly, next John’s thumb, “…Alright!”

Kun wrote, ‘You’re my bestest buddy in the world! And now we have matching arms!’ He even added a smiley face to complete the message.

John grins and hugs him, before pulling back, “Wanna watch a movie and then go to bed? My mom can make us popcorn!”

“Sure!”

John runs out to get his mom to make them popcorn and comes back with his dad and two juice boxes, helping his dad by handing over the copy of Lion king and plopping next to Kun.

They passed out with a half a bowl of popcorn and forty-five minutes left.

At school, Kun didn’t mind getting laughed at for his pink cast because it meant he had a best friend and that was all that mattered to him.

Besides, he felt cool having a cast.

What bothered him was people were teasing John about picking the one for Kun, since he told everyone they got each other’s favourite colours.

He frowns as John sits by himself at recess and walks away from the kickball game he’s in, walking over, “Hey, John…what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he shrugs and sniffles.

“Hey…what happened?” He sits next to him.

“I’m sorry for making you get a pink cast.”

“What? Why?”

“People keep laughing at me for it and that means they’re probably laughing at you. I’m sorry!” He sniffles and wipes his nose and eyes on his arm.

“Ew, John,” he pulls out a tissue from his pocket and cleans his face for him, then hands him the pack. “I don’t mind my cast. I think it’s pretty cool! And you can see all the writing!”

“Really? You don’t mind it?” He asks, looking up at him.

“Of course I don’t! I broke my arm! That’s so cool!”

“It is, huh…” He smiles a bit. “Even cooler cause you didn’t cry like I did.”

“I did. I just didn’t tell you because I was supposed to be the tough one.”

“You really cried?”

“Duh! It hurt!” He laughs.

“I don’t believe you…”

“I promise!”

“…Okay…” John smiles and hugs him, “Thanks, Kun…I love you.”

“You too, buddy. Come on. Let’s go play kickball!”

“Okay!” He jumps up and smiles, following Kun to the field.

**3:** The third time, it was scary, but necessary.

Kun and John’s families had gone on vacation together when they were fourteen, so the boys naturally ran off around the hotel they were staying in.

“We should go to the pool!” Johnny beams and bounces down the hallway.

“Yes! And then to get lunch! Mom gave me money!”

“Dad gave me some, too!”

“Dude, this is gonna be so cool!”

Kun grins and hits the elevator button, getting in with Johnny as it opens. “Let’s go!” Johnny hits the lobby button and the door closes before they start moving. “Dude, do you think there will be cute girls there?” He asks excitedly.

“Yeah, possibly! We are on vacation and cute girls go on vacation!” Kun nods, watching the numbers tick down before the elevator jerks and stops.

“Uh…” Johnny frowns, pressing the lobby button.

“Oh no,” Kun pales, “It stopped.”

“What?” Johnny whimpers a bit.

“Don’t panic, it’s okay,” he pats his friend’s arm and steps up, pressing the emergency call button, talking into it, “Hi, um, our elevator is stuck…”

“Okay, dear, we’ll have someone there right away.”

“Thank you,” he sighs. “See, John, it’s ok-John?!” He frowns and runs over to his friend who’s sitting on the floor in the corner, shaking. “Hey, whoah, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t wanna die!”

“We aren’t going to die.”

“I saw a movie once where the elevator stopped and then plummeted to the ground and they all died! And another where they got the doors open but then they slammed close on the person and they split in half! And one where-“

“John!” He cups his face, “Hey, those are movies, it’s okay.”

“But you don’t know! What if we die?!”

“We won’t. I promise, okay?”

“How can you promise that?! You don’t know!”

“I do! They’re gonna come get us right now!”

There’s a knock on the doors, “Stay back, we’re gonna pry open the doors! Everyone alright in there?!”

“We’re fine! Just get them open, please!” Kun answers and turns back to John, “See? Hey, stop crying!” He uses the hem of his shirt to wipe his friend’s eyes as the metal around them starts creaking as they work to open it. “Here, listen to me,” he says softly and starts to gently sing, pressing his head to Johnny’s, his favourite soft song, trying to calm him.

The metal gets louder and John lets out a choked sob, “Kun, I don’t wanna die! I’m scared! I love you!”

“I know, buddy, I know, I-“ He turns as the doors open and quickly heaves John up and out, holding him, even if he was taller than he was. “Thank you!” He shakes the men’s hands as John shakes but starts to calm down. “Come on, bud,” he walks him off.

“I’m sorry,” John says when they sit down and Kun gets him water.

“Don’t be. You were scared. Just stop watching so many horror movies.”

“I know, I know,” he sighs and rubs his face. “That was embarrassing.”

“Why? You’re my best friend.”

“And you love me, right?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

**4:** The next time was funnier than the others.

John’s wisdom teeth had come in after his 17th birthday and he had to have them removed.

Of course, Kun was right by his side. He came over after the surgery when his parents had to work and sat with him, even adopting a liquid and soft food diet, until John would heal.

“Kuuuuun,” John hums around his gauze and puffy cheeks a few hours after the surgery.

“Yeah, John?” He asks, leaning over his algebra book at the foot of the bed John laid in.

“My teeth hurt,” he whimpers.

“Oh, okay, hold on…” He gets up and heads out to the kitchen, Johnny’s mom having left instructions for Kun on how to give John his medicine. He grabs the bottles and takes the doses out, crushing them up and mixing them with water. He turns when he hears feet thumping over to see a sleepy John, with bedhead and clothes that were somehow too big for him walk over, swaying a little dangerously. He puts the meds down and rushes over to catch him, “Whoah, easy there,” he sits down at a chair by the counter.

“Thankth,” John mumbles through the gauze, giving him a lisp.

“Uh huh,” he chuckles and finishes up his concoction then brings it over, “Here, take this.” He tilts his chin up, taking the gauze out and helping him drink, ignoring John’s nose wrinkling. “No, come on, almost done…And, there!”

He sticks his tongue out and then whines as his jaw stretches, “Owwww.”

“Oh, you big baby. Hold on. Let me change out your gauze.” He grabs the box that was left there, cutting out what he needed and then turns to him, “Open, okay, now don’t bite.” He winks, chuckling as he slides the gauze into place, then taking his fingers out, removing them from where he held his chin to keep it open. “Bite, bite, bite.”

John whines and clenches his eyes, grabbing Kun’s hand and kicking his feet.

“I know, buddy, it’s okay.” He squeezes for him, then nods, “Okay, stop, let me put in the other. You don’t have to bite this time.” John sniffles and opens his mouth, letting Kun put the rest in, “See? All done.” He wipes his eyes with his sleeve and ruffles John’s hair, “You did good. Who’s a big boy?” He teases.

John doesn’t catch it and grins toothily, mouth full of gauze, “Me?”

“Exactly!” He smiles and rubs his arm, helping him up, “Lean against me. Let’s get you back to bed.”

“Don’t drop me!”

“I promise.”

John leans on him as they walk, but suddenly stops, “I gotta peeeeeee.”

“Okay, okay, let’s go.” He helps him into the bathroom and reaches around blindly to help him get himself out, “Okay, grab it.”

“Aye aye cap’n!” He slurs and then leans back against Kun as he uses the bathroom, “I love you,” he mumbles, nodding.

“Okay, really not the place or situation for that, John,” he snorts and helps him pull his pants back up, then over to wash their hands, which he does by washing Johnny’s for him.

“But, I mean it!”

“I know you do,” he laughs, drying their hands.

“And you love me!” He leans on him as Kun leads him back out.

“Of course, buddy,” he laughs and tucks him back into bed, “Wanna watch a movie?”

“Incredibleth!” He yells out, throwing his arms up.

“Okay,” he chuckles and puts it on, getting back in bed and moving to sit next to him to watch, letting Johnny fall asleep on his chest, keeping it propped so he doesn’t sleep on his side, playing with his hair absently.

He almost said it back.

“Yeah, you too, bud.”

But, he didn’t.

**5:** Kun thought the next time wouldn’t be as sappy as it was.

It was the night of graduation and they were taking a drive through Chicago, on Lake shore, just enjoying the scenery.

“Wanna go to the beach?” Johnny asks, pointing out the window.

“Later? I wanna drive around for a bit more. We can keep going right?” Kun asks, looking out the window, enjoying the cool air and lights from the city next to the beach.

“Of course,” he chuckles and keeps driving, humming along to the radio.

“I promise we’ll go. I just love looking at the city like this.” He says, leaning out the window a bit more, shutting his eyes against the lake air and breathing it in happily.

“I can totally understand,” Johnny nods, ending up having to do a little maneuvering to get back on Lake Shore, making Kun look at architecture instead for a while, not that Kun minded.

“Alright,” Kun says softly after a while, “Take us to the beach.”

John grins and drives happily, parking and getting out to pay the meter before grabbing Kun’s hand and running towards the sand. “Come on!”

“I’m coming!” He laughs, running with him, intertwining their fingers as they gain speed.

He stops as they get there but doesn’t let go of Kun’s hand, walking down the beach with him, “Man, can you believe we just graduated?”

“No,” Kun leans on him, feeling more comfortable than ever next to his best friend.

“We’re gonna go to college together…” John shakes his head.

“Wait, did you get your letter?” Kun stops, looking up.

John turns to look at him, grinning, “I got in.”

“You did?!” Kun jumps and hugs him, “Congratulations!”

“Thank you!” Johnny laughs, hugging him back.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Kun whines and starts to chase him down the sand, laughing, “You had me worried this whole time!” He shoves him playfully, laughing.

“I’m sorry!” Johnny laughs, before he finally trips and goes down on the sand, but pulls a laughing Kun with him.

“Hey!” Kun laughs, laying on his back next to him.

“You started it,” Johnny shrugs and lays back comfortably, one hand on his stomach, the other behind his head.

Kun hums and leaves his hands on his stomach, looking up at the stars, “Aren’t they pretty?”

“Yeah and it’s a clear night, so we can actually see them.”

“What time even is it?”

“Around one, I think.”

“Wow, it’s so peaceful here at night for being a big city.”

“Not many people like the beach at night.”

“I guess that’s true,” he smiles.

It’s a comfortable silence, when Johnny breaks it.

“Kun?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

“I know,” Kun answers and reaches over to take his hand, “You too, buddy.”

It’s comfortable afterwards as well.

**6:** The next time neither of them expected.

Applying to be each other’s roommates was probably the best decision Kun and Johnny could’ve made. Best friends living together made everything easier and the transition to school more comfortable for the both of them.

John grabs his travel mug and Kun takes it from him, filling it with coffee and handing him a breakfast sandwich back with it, “You already leaving?”

“Yeah, I gotta get to class early.”

“It’s the second week.”

“Professor’s orders.”

“Alright, be safe, yeah?” He pats his arm.

“Of course. I love you. See you later.” John nods and heads out.

“I love you too!” Kun calls as the door shuts and grabs his sandwich and coffee only to nearly drop it as the door swings back open.

“What?!”

“Ah! What?!” He frowns and puts it down on the table.

“Did you just say what I think you said?”

“Don’t make it a big deal.”

“But it is. You never say that.”

“I do too!”

“Not to me. Oh god, are you dying?” John whimpers and runs over, cupping Kun’s face, “Are you okay? Don’t die.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sick? In trouble? Is someone coming to hurt you? It’s okay. You can tell me. I’ll protect y-“

Kun grabs his face and pulls it down, kissing him softly, but packing his emotions into it. John tasted like coffee and Kun tasted like toothpaste, but it didn’t matter. He pulls away after a few moments of John barely responding, “I love you.”

John blinks and puts his own coffee down, grabbing Kun’s face and kissing him again, backing him into the kitchen counter, holding him there. He pulls back only to press his forehead to Kun’s, “Only took you fourteen years,” he teases.

“Shut up,” he huffs and tries to pulls back but Johnny keeps him there, kissing him again, this time a little more intense, Johnny’s own emotions flooding through as he grips at Kun, afraid of losing him. It gave Kun butterflies unlike anything else. He pulls back, out of breath, laughing nervously, cheeks red, “You’re gonna be late.”

“Damn us academic types, huh?” He breathes against his lips, nuzzling against him.

“You? An academic type? Don’t make me laugh.” He giggles and kisses his cheek, “Now, go. You can kiss me again when you get home.”

“You promise?”

“Don’t I always?”


End file.
